Will start the quiz when ready/ discussion questions is in attac

Will start the quiz when ready/ discussion questions is in attac

respond to:

Jessica Hartley

The debate between nature vs. nurture discusses human behavior and if it is determined by nature which can be a person genetics or nurture which is a person’s environment or life experiences (Mcleod.2023). An individual could be affected by nature whether it is through their appearance eye color, hair color, or facial features to medical diagnosis of their family members. This can range from a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, Schizophrenia, or bi-polar disorder. Nurturing can be determined if an individual has grown up in a healthy and happy home then that will be passed along, but it can also assume that if an individual has been in an abusive or destructive type of environment that can determine how they will respond and build their own life. From a personal standpoint my family was very strict in their values and the ability openly communicate was not an option. It often made me feel lonely and, in my adulthood, caused me depression. Now having two children of my own I encourage them to communicate with me and let them know they are safe to speak to me about anything.

Epigenetics is the study of how behaviors and the environment can affect the way your genes work. Epigenetics change throughout an individual’s life and are not always permanent. An example of this would be if a woman is pregnant. During the pregnancy if a mother decided to eat a healthy diet or unhealthy it can change the baby’s epigenetics and place them at a higher risk for diseases (CDC.2024).

CDC. (2024). What is Epigenetics? https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/disease/epigenetics.htm#:~:text=Epigenetics%20is%20the%20study%20of,the%20way%20your%20genes%20work.

Mcleod, S. (2023). Nature Vs Nurture Debate in Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/naturevsnurture.h…

Respond to :

Kyler Blair

Hello class!

The answer to the question of how much of our thoughts and behaviors are a result of Nature as opposed to Nurture would be very informative to the field of psychology. It would allow us to know to what extent people are capable of changing throughout their life based on environmental factors versus how much about people is inherent to them based on their biology.

The answer might be more complicated as the two factors often interact with each other. Epigenetics is the study of how the environment shapes how the body interprets genetics. It is how experiences change a developing child’s epigenetic markers which leads to changes in how those genes are expressed. These changes can be permanent or temporary depending on the extent of the epigenetic change (What is epigenetics? the answer to the nature vs. Nurture Debate 2020).

It would appear that nature and nurture both effect each other and are often intertwined. In my own opinion however, the environmental factors of nurture are the most useful to study as they are the factors that we are most capable of influencing. With the emerging study of epigenetics it would appear that providing a healthy environment is a way to change a person’s genetics to be more healthy as well.

Looking forward to seeing all of your responses; I hope you have a great week!

References

The President and Fellows of Harvard College. (2020, October 30). What is epigenetics? the answer to the nature

vs. Nurture Debate. Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.

https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/what-is-epigenetics-and-how-does-it-relate-to-child-